Desperately-ill dad Martin Weaver has told how he was forced to quit his home and move into a caravan after waiting a month for his benefits to come through.

The 42-year-old, who suffers from a hereditary kidney condition, was plunged into poverty when a heart attack caused by the strain of dialysis meant he had to give up his job as a hotel manager six months ago.

After applying for Universal Credit in July 2018, he says it took 28 days for him to receive the payment, forcing him to leave his one-bed flat because he could no longer afford the rent.

On top of his money woes, father-of-two Martin, from Stoke-on-Trent, also urgently needs a kidney transplant with the stress leading him to consider taking his own life.

He is now living in a freezing 34-year-old caravan worth £50 on a campsite without a cooker or toilet and can only afford to eat tinned food and frequently skips meals.

Martin said: “It’s embarrassing living like this, it's degrading. I feel like I'm not worth anything to anyone.

“It’s not a nice way to live. My kids think it’s great living in a caravan and look at it as an adventure but at this time of year it’s just too cold.

“I can cook for them but there’s no bathroom. I can’t afford to eat properly which means that my health has suffered.

“I’ve worked hard my entire life, I didn’t ask to be in this situation and I just feel utterly abandoned.

“It’s been so bad that I phoned Samaritans to say I couldn’t carry on. I was having suicidal thoughts.”

MARTIN’S MONTHLY INCOME:

Universal Credit - £676

Borrows from friends - £122

TOTAL – £798

Martin, who has suffered from polycystic kidney disease his whole life, was always able to manage his condition and enjoyed a successful career as a manager in the hotel industry.

But after he suffered a heart attack in June last year he now requires four hours of dialysis three times a week after his condition escalated.

Despite the treatment, Martin’s kidneys are only four per cent functional and because of the strain put on his heart by the dialysis, he urgently needs heart surgery before he can have a kidney transplant.

Martin first applied for Universal Credit in July but received his first payment in the middle of August.

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Martin was given the caravan after putting an appeal out on social media and has since spent the last four months moving from £12 a night caravan sites where his electricity is included in the fee and he can use the on-site showers and toilets.

When he has no spare cash, he said he has no choice but to park in a roadside lay-by.

Martin has been forced to turn to foodbanks (Image: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire)

Despite the cost-cutting measures, Martin was forced to take out a payday loan and is dependent on getting food from foodbanks as well as borrowing money from friends.

Martin said: “The caravan has no toilet and doesn’t have a proper oven.

“I have to keep warm using a fan heater and blankets. The oven doesn’t work so I have to use a table top cooker.”

Divorced from his ex-wife, Martin says he has to go to a caravan site whenever his two boys visit.

He is also required to maintain a healthy diet due to his condition, but is restricted to tinned food and said that he often has to skip meals when he's short on money.

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“I’d love to go back to work but I can’t at the moment until my health improves.

“The plan is to get a better caravan but obviously I’d like to find a landlord who was OK with my situation and had somewhere affordable.

“It’s hard, I don't want a luxury apartment but it would be nice to have somewhere with a proper toilet and shower.

“In this day and age is that really too much to ask?”

(Image: Kirsty O'Connor/PA Wire)

A DWP spokesman said: “Universal Credit provides a safety net for those who need it and is designed to help people off benefits and into work, because work is the best route out of poverty and the best way to improve your life chances.

"Anyone struggling with housing costs can also apply for Discretionary Housing Payments.”